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This Week In Pac-10 Football

THIS WEEK: Ten non-conference games are on the slate this week, seven of them at Pac-10 sites. Included are the season debuts for ARIZONA STATE, STANFORD and UCLA. Opponents LSU (at ARIZONA), Notre Dame (vs. WASHINGTON STATE) and COLORADO (vs. UCLA) carry current Top 25 national rankings. OREGON STATE gets an early jump with a Friday night game at Fresno State (ESPN). Here is a look at this week's schedule (Note: Ranking is the AP [media] poll first, followed by the ESPN/USA Today [coaches] poll):

PAC-10 COACHES' MEDIA TELECONFERENCES: Pac-10 head football coaches will be available on a media teleconference every Tuesday during the football season. The first call will be conducted on Tue., Sep. 2 and the calls will continue every Tuesday through Nov. 18. Each coach is scheduled to be on the line for 10 minutes with the calls starting at 10:00 a.m. PDT/MST. In addition, a taped replay will be available at 3:00 PT/MT following the call and will be available until the next call. Media members may call the Conference office or any Pac-10 SID office to receive the media only number for both the live teleconference or the taped replay. Following is the schedule for the coaches' teleconferences:

PAC-10 IN THE POLLS: Three Pac-10 teams are ranked in the Top 25, with another lurking at No. 26, and a total of nine of the 10 Conference teams receive some sort of poll support. Following are the rankings of Pac-10 teams in the AP (media) and ESPN/USA Today (coaches) polls:

OREGON STATE (1-0) at FRESNO STATE (0-1) - 7:00 PDT - ESPN national cablecast - The Series: Oregon State and Fresno State have met 12 times with the Bulldogs holding a slim 7-5 series advantage. The Beavers are winless in five previous trips to Fresno, most recently dropping a 44-24 decision in 2001. The last three games of the series have not been close with margins of 23, 20 and 40 points. . . . Last Year: Oregon State and Fresno State met at Corvallis with the Beavers thumping the Bulldogs 59-19. The OSU offense and defense were both in high gear in the win. Oregon State piled up 510 yards total offense, including 286 yards rushing. Beaver TB Steven Jackson led the way with 25 carries for 227 yards (9.1-yard average) and two TDs. OSU QB Derek Anderson threw three scoring passes. Fresno State passed for 307 yards, but the Beaver defense intercepted three passes and returned two of them for touchdowns.pac-10 football - 9/2/03page 4

SERIES NOTES FOR THE GAMES OF SEP. 6:

WASHINGTON STATE (1-0) at NOTRE DAME (0-0) - 1:30 EST/11:30 PDT - NBC national telecast - The Series: First meeting. . . . Coaching Notes: New Washington State head coach Bill Doba returns to his hometown of South Bend, Indiana. Doba, who turns 63 the day after the game (Sep. 7), was born in South Bend. A true Hoosier, Doba coached at four different Indiana high schools and had coaching stints at both Indiana and Purdue. . . . On the Notre Dame sideline, former Stanford coach Tyrone Willingham begins his second season under the Golden Dome after leading the Cardinal to four bowl games in a seven-year tenure at Palo Alto.

NEVADA (1-0) at OREGON (1-0) - 12:30 PDT - The Series: Oregon and Nevada have met five times with the Ducks leading the series 4-1. Nevada won the first game in the series, Oregon the next four. The Ducks have won the three previous games played at Eugene. . . . Last Meeting: Oregon and Nevada opened the season at Eugene in 2000 and the Ducks took the first step toward a 10-2 season with a 36-7 victory. The Oregon defense had a dominating performance limiting the Wolf Pack to 106 yards total offense, minus-three yards rushing, recording eight QB sacks, 13 tackles for losses, picking off three passes and getting a safety. TB Maurice Morris rushed for 166 yards for the Ducks.

UCLA (0-0) at COLORADO (1-0) - 1:30 MDT/12:30 PDT - ABC split-national telecast - The Series: UCLA and Colorado have met five times with the Bruins leading the series 4-1. UCLA won the first four games of the series before Colorado broke through with a victory last year. UCLA has won the two previous games played at Boulder, the most recent being in 1984. . . . Last Year: UCLA and Colorado met on a scorching 99-degree day at the Rose Bowl and the Buffs ground out a 31-17 win. Colorado rushed for 325 yards and played turnover-free ball in controlling the game. UCLA could manage just 62 yards rushing and 284 yards total offense. SE Craig Bragg got both Bruin TDs on scoring receptions. . . . Coaching Note: The last time UCLA played at Colorado (1984), new head coach Karl Dorrell was a player for the Bruins, although he had been injured the previous week and would end up taking a redshirt year. Dorrell subsequently served two stints as an assistant coach at Colorado (1992-93 and 1995-98) and had been an assistant coach for the Denver Broncos the last three years before taking over at UCLA.

INDIANA (0-1) at WASHINGTON (0-1) - 1:00 PDT - Fox Sports Net national telecast - The Series: Washington and Indiana have met twice with the Hoosiers taking both contests. Indiana won 20-13 at Seattle in 1976 and 14-7 at Bloomington in 1978. . . . Last Meeting: Washington and Indiana met at Bloomington in 1978 with the Hoosiers taking a 14-7 defensive struggle. Washington outgained Indiana 402-238, but hurt itself with four turnovers. Indiana attempted just three passes all game, completing none.

BYU (1-0) at USC (1-0) - 5:00 PDT - ABC regional telecast - The Series: First meeting . . . Coaching Note: It might be the first meeting between USC and BYU, but Trojan offensive coordinator Norm Chow made the bulk of his considerable coaching reputation as an assistant coach at BYU for 27 years from 1973-1999.

LSU (1-0) at ARIZONA (1-0)- 7:00 MST/PDT - TBS Superstation national cablecast - The Series: First trip to Tucson for LSU. The Tigers and Arizona have met just once before with LSU taking a 27-26 decision at Baton Rouge in 1984. . . . Last Meeting: Arizona and LSU met at Baton Rouge in 1984 with the Tigers escaping with a 27-26 win. LSU outgained Arizona 426-298. For the Wildcats, Allan Durdan returned an interception a school-record 96 yards for a TD and PK Max Zendejas kicked four field goals.

SERIES NOTES FOR GAMES OF SEP. 6:

NORTHERN ARIZONA (1-0) at ARIZONA STATE (0-0) - 7:00 MST/PDT - The Series: Arizona State and Northern Arizona have met 34 times dating to 1915 with the Sun Devils holding a slim 16-14-4 series lead. However, the last meeting in the series came in 1950. The teams used to play twice a year from 1929 to 1936, with NAU having the best of it in those days. ASU is 8-0-1 in the last nine games against the Lumberjacks. Arizona State leads 9-6-2 in 17 games played at Tempe. . . . Last Meeting: Arizona State and Northern Arizona last met in 1950 at Tempe with the Sun Devils winning big 63-0.

SAN JOSE STATE (1-1) at STANFORD (0-0) - 7:00 PDT - The Series: Stanford vs. San Jose State is a neighborhood rivalry that has seen the teams meet 58 times dating to 1900. Stanford leads the series 44-13-1. The Cardinal has won the the last two games, snapping a three-game San Jose winning streak. All but three of the games have been played at Stanford, where the Cardinal leads 41-13-1. However, San Jose State has won three of the last four at Stanford Stadium. . . . Last Year: Stanford and San Jose State met at Palo Alto with the Cardinal breaking open a close game in the second half to romp 63-26. The 63 points were the most by Stanford in a game since 1981 and the victory was the first for new head coach Buddy Teevens. The Card dominated the stats, outgaining the Spartans 563-211, as Stanford rushed for 258 yards and passed for 305, while limiting San Jose State to 34 yards rushing. Freshman running back J.R. Lemon rushed for three TDs for Stanford. The teams combined for eight interceptions, four by each squad.

OUT OF OUR LEAGUE: Pac-10 teams are off to a fast start with a 6-2 mark (.750) against outsiders. The two losses came against Top 10 teams on the road. Included in last week's victories were two road wins against SEC teams.

ARIZONA: Wildcats have first three and four of first five games at home. . . . As promised by coach John Mackovic, Arizona played both QBs Nic Costa and Ryan O'Hara in opener vs UTEP last week. They came out with similar numbers as Costa completed 6-of-10 for 110 yards and one TD, O'Hara 8-of-16 for 119 yards and one TD. . . . Cats rushed for 217 yards vs. UTEP led by soph HB Mike Bell, who went for a career-high 119 yards and one TD on just 13 carries (9.2 average). . . . Win against UTEP snapped a four-game home losing streak for the Cats. . . . UA is now 7-1 in non-conference games under Mackovic.

ARIZONA STATE: The Sun Devils return 17 starters from last year's 8-6 team, most in the Pac-10. Included are nine offensive starters. In fact, ASU loses just two players from last year's offensive two-deep. . . . ASU has been picked to finish second in the Pac-10 in the annual preseason media poll. USC just edged out the Devils for the top spot in close voting. . . . QB Andrew Walter passed for an ASU single-season record 3,877 yards last year. That's the fourth-best season mark in Pac-10 history. . . . Four starters return to what was a young and speedy secondary last season. That unit is expected to be one of the best in the Pac-10. . . . P Tim Parker led the Pac-10 in punting last year with a 42.7-yard average and earned second-team All-Pac-10 honors.pac-10 football - 9/2/03

CALIFORNIA: Golden Bears rushed for 260 yards in home-opening 34-2 win against Southern Mississippi. TB Adimchinobe Echemandu led the way with a career-high 127 yards on 17 carries (7.5), including a 60-yard TD run that was Cal's longest since 2000. . . . TB J.J. Arrington also topped the 100-yard mark with 114 yards on 16 carries (7.1). . . . Defense threw a shutout against Southern Miss, the first time a Cal defense shut out an opponent since 17-0 vs. UCLA in 1999. . . . In two starts since taking over for departed and apparent NFL starter Kyle Boller, QB Reggie Robertson has thrown five TD passes with just one interception and is completing 58 percent of his passes.

OREGON: Ducks have won 10 consecutive home openers. . . . In fact, Oregon is unbeaten in 18 non-conference games in Autzen Stadium during Mike Bellotti's eight-year head coaching tenure. Ducks are 24-2 overall vs. non-conference foes under Bellotti. . . . Ducks alternated QBs Kellen Clemens and Jason Fife in season-opening win at Mississippi State last week. They combined for 358 yards passing. Clemens completed 14-of-21 passes for 247 yards and three TDs; Fife was a perfect 8-for-8 for 111 yards and one TD and he rushed for another score. Neither threw an interception. . . . Oregon scored touchdowns on its first four drives at Mississippi State. . . . Win at Mississippi State means Oregon has won its season-opener four straight years and nine of the last 10.

OREGON STATE: Beavers hit the road for first time this week, but then come home for three straight at Reser Stadium. . . . Averaging 313.8 pounds per man tackle-to-tackle, OSU has the biggest offensive line in the Pac-10. . . . PK Kirk Yliniemi extended his streak of consecutive field goals made to 17 straight by hitting on two-for-two in Beavers' opener vs. Sac State. The 17 straight field goals made is an OSU record. The Pac-10 and NCAA record is 30 straight by Washington former star Chuck Nelson (1981-82). . . . All-Pac-10 MLB Richard Seigler got his season off to a fast start in OSU opener by posting 5.5 tackles for loss (-22 yards).

STANFORD: Cardinal returns eight starters on defense. Included are its top six linebackers from a year ago, all of whom saw time in the starting lineup. . . . Stanford faces eight bowl teams from 2002. . . . Stanford meets team in its opener--San Jose State--that has already played two games. . . . Card has tough early going with three of first four on road, including trips to BYU, Washington and USC. . . . Stanford hopes a return to full health of QB Chris Lewis (shoulder) and WR Luke Powell (ankle) will revive an offensive unit that fell to 10th in the Pac-10 in total offense (311.4) and ninth in scoring offense (20.5) last year, after leading the Pac-10 in both categories in 2001. . . . Card returns just one starter on the offensive line--OT Kirk Chambers. In fact, Chambers is the only offensive lineman on the roster who has started a game at Stanford.

UCLA: Bruins play 12 games in 12 weeks making them the only Pac-10 team without an open date in the season this year. . . . New head coach Karl Dorrell will begin his head coaching career by taking the Bruins to Colorado, where he served as offensive coordinator from 1995-98. . . . Bruins also have a road trip to pre-season No. 1-ranked Oklahoma. . . . WR Craig Bragg, who led the Bruins with 55 receptions last year, also led the Pac-10 in punt returns last year with a 16.0-yard average. . . . With 994 yards rushing last year, TB Tyler Ebell barely missed becoming just the third freshman in Pac-10 history to top the 1,000 yard mark (Darrin Nelson of Stanford in 1977 and Ken Simonton of Oregon State in 1998).

USC: Trojans have a nine-game winning streak going dating back to last year. That's the third-longest current winning streak in the nation, trailing only Ohio State (15) and Boise State (11). . . . USC last won 10 in a row in 1988. . . . Trojans also enter home opener against BYU with a nine-game winning streak dating to 2001 at the L.A. Coliseum. . . . FL Keary Colbert has caught a pass in 24 consecutive games. His running mate at WR Mike Williams had eight receptions for 104 yards and a TD in Trojans' 23-0 win at Auburn last week. . . . However, real story at Auburn was Trojan defense that dominated the game. SC allowed Auburn just 11 first downs and 164 yards total offense. Auburn's powerful running game could muster just 43 yards and 1.2 yards per carry. In addition, Trojans forced three turnovers that led to 17 points. Auburn never got past USC's 33-yard line. . . . Win also was USC's third consecutive game and win against a team ranked in the Top 10 (Iowa and Notre Dame to close out last season). . . . USC has scored at least 20 points in its last 14 games and 16 of its last 17.

WASHINGTON: Huskies play next three and four of next five at home. . . . Huskies come into the year riding a streak of 26 consecutive non-losing seasons. Only Nebraska (41) and Michigan (35) have longer current streaks. The last UW losing season was in 1976 (5-6). Huskies also have a streak of 14 straight non-losing seasons in Pac-10 play, longest such streak by far among Conference teams. . . . Not many bright spots in Huskies' season-opening loss at defending National Champion Ohio State, but All-America WR Reggie Williams did pull in 10 receptions and UW played turnover-free ball.

WASHINGTON STATE: Cougars hit the road for next two and three of the next four games, starting this week at Notre Dame. . . . With four field goals and a total of 13 points in 25-0 win vs. Idaho last week, PK Drew Dunning upped his career point total to 233 points. Only former All-America Jason Hanson (1988-91) has kicked for more points (328) for WSU. . . . Against Idaho, RB Jonathan Smith averaged better than 10 yards per carry in romping for 160 yards and two TDs on just 15 carries (10.7). Cougs had a total of 339 yards on the ground. . . . Rookie Bill Doba joked last week that he was undefeated and unscored upon as a head coach. He still is.

QUOTE: Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville on USC defensive line, dubbed 'Wild Bunch II': '(Our quarterback didn't have a chance. He was running around for his life. You could just feel our offensive line didn't feel good about being able to block those guys.'